For the first time since the allegedly rigged elections, Ahmadinejad came out strongly for prosecuting the opposition leaders who organized the riots.
Ahmadinejad’s escalation comes as Ayatollah Khamenei is trying to scale back the repressions. Khamenei wants to demolish the infamous Kahrizak jail, and has defended the opposition leaders against accusations that they are American puppets (they are closer to Britain, actually).
Having recovered from the shock of the riots, Ahmedinejad’s backers from the Revolutionary Guards want blood. Ayatollah Khamenei, on other hand, cannot clash head-on with the other grand ayatollahs, who support the opposition and can impeach him through the Rafsanjani-led Council of Experts.
